The New York Knicks know just how frustrating Karl-Anthony Towns’ fouling can be, and Heat legend Udonis Haslem didn’t hold back in criticizing the superstar’s problem at halftime of the NBA Cup Quarterfinals. KAT picked up two fouls in the first five minutes of the game against the Raptors, which forced head coach Mike Brown to send him to the bench. The five-time All-Star didn’t return until the start of the second quarter and altered the Knicks' rotation.
This has been a problem for years, and it has crushed the Knicks before. Towns is 11th in the NBA in personal fouls committed this season. He has yet to foul out, but KAT has six games where he has committed five. The seven-footer is the Knicks' second-best player, and they will need every possible minute when the games matter most. Clearly, Towns doesn’t have this problem under control.
The playoff foul trouble is even worse, and Haslem took issue with how KAT picked up his second against the Raptors. It was an offensive foul for elbowing Scottie Barnes on a play he didn’t need to make. Haslem put Towns on blast, and Knicks fans know the superstar needed to hear it.
Udonis Haslem says Karl-Anthony Towns must be smarter about his fouling
The Knicks need KAT as a floor spacer, scorer, and offensive weapon. He is an elite shooter and key cog on a team with championship aspirations. Towns can’t help the Knicks if he is glued to the bench with foul trouble. Haslem had this criticism for KAT at halftime on Tuesday night.
“I am going to need Karl-Anthony Towns to stop getting two early fouls. He’s too important to his team to keep getting these two early fouls. Your team needs you on the basketball court. Your presence alone makes other guys better.”
Haslem continued by saying he needs to stop committing the unnecessary fouls, especially early in games, which takes him off the floor.
Towns has fouled out in four of his 50 playoff games and has 17 postseason contests with five-plus fouls. This problem gets worse in the biggest moments.
New head coach Mike Brown has praised KAT’s defense, and the big man is quietly reaching a new level. Those improvements make it even more important that Towns controls his foul issues. New York needs him on the floor in the playoffs.
Fans know teams will attack KAT and try to get under his skin. He has a long track record of committing unnecessary fouls in biggest moments. Maybe Haslem’s criticism will be exactly what Towns needs to hear to make a change.
Nobody is questioning the big man’s talent. He is an elite offensive weapon that makes the Knicks better. That doesn’t mean Towns is without flaw. The fouls are an issue, and one he must solve to fully unlock his potential.
New York Knicks fans should be thanking Udonis Haslem for calling out Karl-Anthony Towns. It needed to be said. Now, it is on KAT to change. Avoiding unnecessary fouls is crucial to the Knicks' making a deep playoff run. Towns failed to do so early in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals before controlling it. Hopefully, that was the start of the change.